Ashley J Satisfied

Orlando born and Los Angeles based singer Ashley J is poised to make a deep impact on the pop world with her EP release Satisfied and even a cursory listen illustrates why. She’s invested tremendous emotional capital in the writing and recording of this stunning five-song collection and it doesn’t strike a false note throughout the length of the recording. Ashley made a brief stop in Nashville before relocating to the Los Angeles area and opting to pursue her musical fortunes there, but her ability to inhabit different forms testifies to the flexibility of her vocal talents. She isn’t just some pop chanteuse with a limited shelf life; instead, Ashley J’s EP Satisfied positions her to enjoy the long career deserving for a singer of her immense skills. Satisfied has immense pop appeal, but her substantive talents exhibited on these tracks are more than enough to carry her forward for years to come.

Satisfied opens with the darkly hued song “Trapped”, also the EP’s longest track, but the length is no obstacle to enjoying this performance. Ashley gives us a vocal performance full of tremendous urgency and the musical accompaniment is equally creative, never settling for the lowest common denominator, and urgent as well. “Unbreakable”, the EP’s second song, has the EP’s best chorus without question and there’s no doubt that she’s given something of herself to this performance we don’t ordinarily hear from singers in this style. Much of this can likely be explained by her participation in the writing process; the stakes are obviously a little higher for her than other pop singers might experience. The title song is equally impactful but in a different way. This is a slower build than what we’re accustomed to from Ashley, but it’s the EP’s most effective build thus far and the abundance of electronica never diminishes the humanity of the performance.

The EP’s final two cuts “Like You Used To” and “When I Come Home To You” move listeners from the tangled despair of knotty relationships into the promise of a better tomorrow and do so with imaginative musical landscapes that never repeat themselves. The predominantly electronic backing of the former song is still present in the EP finale, but “When I Come Home To You” distinguishes itself with some intimately recorded acoustic guitar work that has an almost lyrical quality. The vocal melody on the former song is particularly effective, perhaps the most effective one on Satisfied for a purely pop orientated release, and she handles it with considerable aplomb. Ashley J’s Satisfied is the all-important next step in her musical journey towards superstardom and all signs are pointing towards even brighter tomorrows to come. She’s experienced some measure of commercial success already, but the all-out release of her debut EP transports her to a higher level than she’s ever occupied before.